Photo Flash: Checkmate! Raul Esparza, Ramin Karimloo, Ruthie Ann Miles, and Karen Olivo Bring the Anthems of CHESS to Life at the Kennedy Center

The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts presents the semi-staged Broadway Center Stage concert production of CHESS, the epic rock opera about love and political intrigue set against the backdrop of the Cold War as two superpowers attempt to manipulate an international chess championship for political ends.

Written in 1984 by songwriters Benny Andersson and Björn Ulvaeus (Mamma Mia!) and lyricist Tim Rice (Jesus Christ Superstar, The Lion King, Evita), CHESShas been seen in numerous productions around the world. The original concept album spawned two international hit singles, "I Know Him So Well" and "One Night in Bangkok." Presented as a part of Broadway Center Stage, a Kennedy Center-produced series of musicals in semi-staged concerts, CHESS runs February 14-18, 2018 in the Eisenhower Theater.

CHESS, which enjoyed a three-year run in London's West End in 1986 and played Broadway in 1988, has been revised with a new book by Emmy® and Golden Globe Award®-winning writer Danny Strong (Empire, The Butler, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay).

The creative team, led by Tony Award®-winning director Michael Mayer (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, Spring Awakening), includes choreographer Lorin Latarro(Waitress), music director Chris Fenwick (Once on this Island, Sunday in the Park with George), and music supervisor and arranger Brian Usifer (Frozen, Kinky Boots). The production features the work of Tony Award®-winning set designerDavid Rockwell (She Loves Me, Kinky Boots), Tony Award®-winning lighting designer Kevin Adams (Hedwig and the Angry Inch, SpongeBob SquarePants), projection designer Darrel Maloney (The Parisian Woman, On Your Feet!), sound designer Kai Harada (The Band's Visit, the Kennedy Center production of Follies), and Tony Award®-winning costume designer Clint Ramos (Once on this Island,Eclipsed).

CHESS stars Raúl Esparza (Company, the Kennedy Center's Sunday in the Park with George and Merrily We Roll Along) as American chess champion Freddie Trumper; Ramin Karimloo (Anastasia) as rival Russian chess star Anatoly Sergievsky; Tony Award® winner Ruthie Ann Miles (The King and I, Here Lies Love) as Anatoly's wife, Svetlana Sergievsky; and Tony Award® winner Karen Olivo (West Side Story, In the Heights) as Florence Vassy, a remarkable Hungarian refugee who becomes the center of the emotional triangle. The production also features Bradley Dean (Dear Evan Hansen) as Ivan Molokov, Sean Allan Krill (Honeymoon in Vegas) as Walter de Courcey, and Bryce Pinkham (A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder) as the Arbiter.

The CHESS ensemble includes Paige Faure, Casey Garvin, Nkrumah Gatling,Adam Halpin, Paloma Garcia-Lee, Ericka Hunter, Sean MacLaughlin, Morgan Marcell, Marissa McGowan, Chelsea Turbin, Christopher Vo, and Ricardo Zayas.

Broadway Center Stage is Executive Produced by Jeffrey Finn, Vice President of Theater Producing and Programming. Following CHESS, the new series continues with In the Heights, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Quiara Alegría Hudes's Tony Award®-winning musical about a vibrant community on the brink of change in New York's Washington Heights, March 21-25, in the Eisenhower Theater. Then, June 6-8,How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, the Tony® and Pulitzer Prize­­-winning musical lampooning life on the corporate ladder, with an exhilarating score by Frank Loesser, will take to the Eisenhower Theater stage to complete the season.

Ticket Information

Broadway Center Stage: CHESS will be performed Wednesday, February 14-Sunday, February 18, 2018 at 8 p.m. with matinees at 2 p.m. on Saturday, February 17 and Sunday, February 18. Please check at the box office for last minute ticket availability. For more information please visit the Kennedy Center website, in-person at the Kennedy Center box office, or call (202) 467-4600 or (800) 444-1324.

Photo Credit: Teresa Wood

Test and expand your Broadway knowledge with our new game - The Broadway Match-Up! How well do you know your Broadway casting trivia?	Play the Daily Game, explore current shows, and delve into past decades like the 2000s, 80s, and the Golden Age. Challenge your friends and see where you rank!
How well do you know your Tony Awards history? Take our never-ending quiz of nominations and winner history and challenge your friends.	Can you beat your friends? Play today’s daily Broadway word game, featuring a new theatrically inspired word or phrase every day!